Boosting ESN or spring sponges??

says toooooo much choice!!
says toooooo much choice!!
Well-Known Member
Jul 2020
1,739
1,184
4,372
Read 11 reviews
Hi Everyone,

I can understand why people boost the typically tacky and hard sponged Chinese rubbers, and additionally boost Chinese rubbers / hybrid rubbers that are ‘factory’ tuned, because it seems the factory boosting is limited as far as longevity is concerned and that possibly the factory boost doesn’t achieve what they are looking for, which generally is more speed better feel and better spin.
But boosting ESN and spring sponges also seems to be going on? Are the ‘benefits’ similar? Or can boosting have an adverse effect on the ESN/Spring sponge top sheet combos?
 
  • Like
Reactions: burhanayan
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Mar 2019
550
499
1,093
ESN sponges already have plenty of pop as they are mostly factory boosted, and by design can perform well in terms of speed and spin at lower and moderate levels of impact. Boosting is redundant and going overboard to most casual players.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UpSideDownCarl
says toooooo much choice!!
says toooooo much choice!!
Well-Known Member
Jul 2020
1,739
1,184
4,372
Read 11 reviews
ESN sponges already have plenty of pop as they are mostly factory boosted, and by design can perform well in terms of speed and spin at lower and moderate levels of impact. Boosting is redundant and going overboard to most casual players.

Thats what I thought, why boost ESN or spring sponge? But there may be some players doing just that!!!
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Mar 2019
550
499
1,093
Thats what I thought, why boost ESN or spring sponge? But there may be some players doing just that!!!

Some high level players will boost harder versions of ESN rubbers. But that really isn't necessary for most amateur players.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UpSideDownCarl
says toooooo much choice!!
says toooooo much choice!!
Well-Known Member
Jul 2020
1,739
1,184
4,372
Read 11 reviews
What do the high level players gain ? More speed? Spin? Control?


Has anyone remeasured the sponge hardness after boosting? difficult I’d imagine, as the top sheet would have to be separated from the sponge first!! As sponge hardness is measured without the top sheet.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Mar 2019
550
499
1,093
What do the high level players gain ? More speed? Spin? Control?


Has anyone remeasured the sponge hardness after boosting? difficult I’d imagine, as the top sheet would have to be separated from the sponge first!! As sponge hardness is measured without the top sheet.

They boost harder sponges to get more speed and spin and rebound, since boosting softens the feeling they do it on rubbers that are harder originally.
 
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
Well-Known Member
Sep 2011
12,800
13,179
30,329
Read 27 reviews
Some TTR 800 level TT fanboyz makes boasts of boosting their T05 rubbers with 5 layers of rare National Booster on each rubber glued to their ZJK Super or rare National W968 to earn brownie points at the club and online.

Who cares that kind of treatment makes those rubbers softer than a mushy aloe plant that is already pulverized to a pulp and are utterly unplayable with really crappy feel... those players had crappy feel anyway and are happy as a mosquito in a nudist colony doing the deed to that $1000+ USD equipment value catastrope of a boost job.

There are SOME more advanced amateur players who want to get a few more weeks outta their tenergy and do a layer or two carefully with attention to detail by experience... and can get acceptable playability outta that Tenergy that is more used than Carl's favorite honey trap decoy to lure the Goon Squad enforcers to the trap door drop zone.

Personally, I would only want to use a booster to soften up a rubber and sponge combo that I really like, but is too hard for what I do. I haven't done it yet, but I bet if I soften up MX-K by several degrees, I would play even better with it on FH.
 
  • Like
Reactions: langel and IB66
says Fair Play first
says Fair Play first
Well-Known Member
Jan 2012
1,279
405
1,752
[size=+2]The prodigy girl Mima Ito of Japan does not apply boosters whatever, so is Mizutaney Jun, Harimoto Tomokazu as well.[/size] Ignorance of the law makes no excuse, you know.
 
Last edited:
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Jan 2019
529
62
607
Even timo boll doesn’t boost his dignics 09c. I mean that’s what he said in his live Q and A.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
May 2016
119
36
230
"Are the ‘benefits’ similar? Or can boosting have an adverse effect on the ESN/Spring sponge top sheet combos?"

"The prodigy girl Mima Ito of Japan does not apply boosters whatever, so is Mizutaney Jun, Harimoto Tomokazu as well. Ignorance of the law makes no excuse, you know."

In teaching, we call that a failure to answer the question.
 
says toooooo much choice!!
says toooooo much choice!!
Well-Known Member
Jul 2020
1,739
1,184
4,372
Read 11 reviews
[SIZE=+2]The prodigy girl Mima Ito of Japan does not apply boosters whatever, so is Mizutaney Jun, Harimoto Tomokazu as well.[/SIZE] Ignorance of the law makes no excuse, you know.

Hi,
if they are using a ESN or spring sponge then I’m not surprised!! These rubber combo’s may well be ‘tweaked’ by the manufacturers to suit as well.
These rubbers have plenty of speedy and bounce, so this I why I asked the question about boosting ESN / Spring sponges, for the life of me I couldn’t get my head round why you would want to !!!!!!
if these players were using dead tacky hard sponge rubbers then boosting would be very tempting!!!!
 
says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
Well-Known Member
Jan 2018
7,177
9,277
18,201
People, pros and amateurs alike, used to glue the hell out of Bryce and especially the early Tensors(despite being against the instructions), not just for extra speed and spin, but also for extra touch(more below). The feel is just addicting.

Say, you could get the power of 42-degree H3, Sriver kawatsuki/Bryce Hard/T05 Hard, but with the permeability of 39-degree H3, Sriver FX/Bryce FX/T05 FX. Here, permeability is borrowed from the Chinese term 通透度, which refers to the sensation of power passing through unimpeded. 透板/打透, literally "through the blade/hitting through", are derived terms that are often used to differentiate the intrinsic characteristics of Chinese tacky rubbers(難打透, difficult to hit through) from Japanese/European grippy rubbers(易打透, easy to hit through). The closest English equivalent I could come up with is "bottoming out but without the negative connotation."

易打透 also highlights the traditional/historical weakness of ESN Tensors. In China, Tensors are often described as "虛彈", literally "hollow bounce", referring to the undesirable bounciness at low speed, and ceiling effect at high speed. Imagine what boosting would do to it, on top of the factory tuning. ESN has been getting around this by tweaking/increasing topsheet/sponge hardness in the past several years. That's also why it's been having immense difficulty capturing market share on the FH front in China, in addition to the barrier of "no tack, no talk."
 
Last edited:
says toooooo much choice!!
says toooooo much choice!!
Well-Known Member
Jul 2020
1,739
1,184
4,372
Read 11 reviews
People, pros and amateurs alike, used to glue the hell out of Bryce and especially the early Tensors(despite being against the instructions), not just for extra speed and spin, but also for extra touch(more below). The feel is just addicting.

Say, you could get the power of 42-degree H3, Sriver kawatsuki/Bryce Hard/T05 Hard, but with the permeability of 39-degree H3, Sriver FX/Bryce FX/T05 FX. Here, permeability is borrowed from the Chinese term 通透度, which refers to the sensation of power passing through unimpeded. 透板/打透, literally "through the blade/hitting through", are derived terms that are often used to differentiate the intrinsic characteristics of Chinese tacky rubbers(難打透, difficult to hit through) from Japanese/European grippy rubbers(易打透, easy to hit through). The closest English equivalent I could come up with is "bottoming out but without the negative connotation."

易打透 also highlights the traditional/historical weakness of ESN Tensors. In China, Tensors are often described as "虛彈", literally "hollow bounce", referring to the undesirable bounciness at low speed, and ceiling effect at high speed. Imagine what boosting would do to it, on top of the factory tuning. ESN has been getting around this by tweaking/increasing topsheet/sponge hardness in the past several years. That's also why it's been having immense difficulty capturing market share on the FH front in China, in addition to the barrier of "no tack, no talk."

Today I retested the tack test, (picking the ball up with the rubber)
With H3 (std sheet) which held the ball for at least 4 seconds.( sheet is 4 months old)
H3 Nat blue sponge, lifted the ball about 25mm then it fell, what’s that a tenth of a second? (Sheet is 4 months old but seen more use than the std H3)
D09C, exactly the same as H3 Nat ( sheet is 4 months old, same use as N3 Nat)
Abliss same as H3 Nat / D09C (sheet is a few weeks old, tack test was previously held ball for 1+ second or so, tackier than D09C when new.)
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Apr 2014
1,486
1,087
2,609
Read 3 reviews
That's also why it's been having immense difficulty capturing market share on the FH front in China, in addition to the barrier of "no tack, no talk."

So one would think the new Hybrid rubbers are aimed at the Asian market (tacky with tensor speed), not at the European market where tacky rubbers never played a huge role, nevertheless companies suggest that this is "now" what is desired because of "the plastic ball" and the loss of rotation.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Apr 2014
1,486
1,087
2,609
Read 3 reviews
for the life of me I couldn’t get my head round why you would want to !!!!!!

I think it has been well explained. What you consider "plenty" of speed and bounce is not enough for everyone.

Spring sponge is even designed to be "enhanced" and corresponds so well with boosters. For me, like you, its speed and spin out of the package is enough, but none of the players from our fifth league upwards that I know would have it without tuning.

Timo saying he doesn´t boost tenergy very probably meant someone else does it, btw.
With dignics, I don´t know.
 
Last edited:
says toooooo much choice!!
says toooooo much choice!!
Well-Known Member
Jul 2020
1,739
1,184
4,372
Read 11 reviews
Th
I think it has been well explained. What you consider "plenty" of speed and bounce is not enough for everyone.

Spring sponge is even designed to be "enhanced" and corresponds so well with boosters. For me, like you, its speed and spin out of the package is enough, but none of the players from our fifth league upwards that I know would have it without tuning.

Timo saying he doesn´t boost tenergy very probably meant someone else does it, btw.
With dignics, I don´t know.

Hi,
Theres another post ‘Dignics which is the best booster to use.’ This has about 39 posts, so what you have told me about the amount of people boosting ESN / spring sponges rings true!!!!!
I missed the ‘speed glue’ era and apparently everyone was using speed glue, so I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised that a lot of people would boost the sponges regardless of them being Chinese Or ESN !!!!!!!
 
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
Well-Known Member
Super Moderator
Dec 2010
16,140
17,681
54,733
Read 11 reviews
I don't boost. It is too much of a hassle. That is part of why, years ago, I stopped using H3. It was not worth the bother boosting. So, I use rubbers that have catapult sponges and don't boost.

But I have some friends who are decently high level who boost. And I have tried their boosted T05 and V15. Man it felt amazing. It is just a hassle to do. So I would rather not bother. Most ESN and Tenergy rubbers are good enough for me without doing anything but gluing them on. Simple.
 
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
Well-Known Member
Sep 2011
12,800
13,179
30,329
Read 27 reviews
Carl's attitude is pretty much how Der_Echte rolls.

Tunin is nice (if you can do it well), but it is WAY TOO MUCH A HASSLE, even if you only do it twice during the life of the rubber.

By the time you try to keep your ither blade's rubbers "current", you are pretty much tuning every other day. Too much hassle.

The rubbers I use work well enough for me without the factory juice or when it wears off... too much trouble. Easier to mess witht he Goon Squad than to tune rubbers 3x a week. (1x tune job per rubber on 6-8 bats)
 
  • Like
Reactions: UpSideDownCarl
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Apr 2014
1,486
1,087
2,609
Read 3 reviews
I think the last two points have the valid questions one should ask before thinking about boosting.

1. Do I need it? If someone plays internationally or in national leagues, quite probably a little extra work is necessary to squeeze even more performance out of a rubber.
But for the vast majority of players there are so many rubbers out there meanwhile that tuning is not needed.

2. Do I want it? There is enough information about how tuning improves the performance of a rubber. And maybe players from lower leagues want it too. After all, it can be part of the hobby´s fascination - I have a friend who has a ritual of boosting t05 Hard until it resembles t05 fx, just not as good. But it makes him happy.
But beware that it is quite some hassle, even after you have found out how much booster your rubber actually needs to be ideal for you (this can take some time and some rubbers may well be ruined along the way ...). If you have the free time and the money, you might just go for it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UpSideDownCarl
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Jul 2018
1,011
554
1,962
I'm not a high level player, and barely notice the performance changes of boosting (especial with regards to short pips). But, I am a bit anal about how the ball feels when bottoming out. So that "crisp", "transparent", "pockiness", Zeio described is pretty desirable to me.

Nowadays I freshen up every 2 weeks. 1 minute to apply new booster, wait a day and take another minute to attach. I don't even bother putting more glue on the sponge. No hassle to speak of.

I mostly use ESN pips. Never noticed damages to the sponge. Topsheet always gives out before the sponge.
 
Last edited:
Top